The Dental Academic Research Training (DART) Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry (UAB SOD) is a comprehensive research-training program focused on the development of an innovative, integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to produce a cadre of well-trained, skilled, collaborative scientists and clinician scientists that are capable to address the critical dental, oral and craniofacial research issues of our nation. This renewal is a continuation of our NIDCR T-90 (DE022736) /R90 (DE023056) DART Training Program that was built on our prior T-32 DART Program (DE017607-05). Furthermore, our training experience is the culmination of prior successful NIDCR T32 Research Training programs: Post-doctoral Training in Oral Health (T32-DE14300); Post-Doctoral Training in Caries Research (T32-DE007026); and a Short-Term Research Training for Health Professional Students (T35-DK07545; funded for over forty years). This robust experience has led to a successful innovative program designed to enhance the knowledge of dentists, graduate students, dual degree (DMD/PhD) students, and postdoctoral fellows in basic and clinical research providing a pathway to productive, independent dental academic careers with unique acquired skill sets in grantsmanship and leadership. The DART Program offers four training tracks: Track I- DMD/Ph.D; Track II- Pre-doctoral Ph.D.; Track III- Post-doctoral training for foreign trained dentists; and Track IV- Post-doctoral training. Integrative DART core experiences include: 1) Presentation skills; 2) Research knowledge; 3) Leadership and Networking development; 4) Responsible Conduct of Research training; 5) Grant Writing skills; and 6) Individualized Development Plans. The primary objective of the DART is to provide a broadened interdisciplinary research experience for exceptionally motivated trainees in a research-intensive collaborative academic university environment. Research training is provided in one of the SOD?s four programmatic research themes: 1) Infection/ Host Response; 2) Craniofacial Development /Genetics; 3) Biomaterial Science/ Biomimetics; and 4) Implementation Science/ Clinical Outcomes Research. The UAB SOD is uniquely position to provide training for the next generation of academicians since we are ranked #1 in NIDCR research funding (since 2012) and host the NIDCR National Dental Practice Based Research Network (U19-DE022736). The SOD is an integral component of a major southeast regional health science center with a ?Highest Research Activity? Carnegie Classification.